December 6/Second Sunday of Advent
Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness? ~ 2 Peter 3.11
The daily recording of the COVID-19 death toll has forced upon us an acute awareness of mortality. In the absence of a vaccine — now, thankfully, on the horizon — it does seem as if everything is going to be dissolved. The well-documented rise in anxiety levels may be due in part to our realization that death is inescapable after all. The end of life is a topic that many of us have preferred not to think about. Indeed, steady advances in wellness practices and medical technology offer the illusion that death can be kept at bay. As long as we swallow the right supplements, undertake the right kind of exercise, try this or that experimental treatment, the inevitable can be made, well, evitable. The corona virus has put that fallacy to rest, as it has affected the healthy and the unwell, the young and the old, with mercurial and seemingly random virulence. This might be a good time for us to give some thought to Peter’s question in today’s Epistle: what sort of persons ought we to be as we live out our days? What is important to us? How do we want our story to end? What do we seek? Whom do we love? How are we to conduct ourselves to ensure that we are leading lives of “holiness and godliness,” to use Peter’s formulation? Do we savor the small delights, let go of the grating irritations, express gratitude for the wonderful people whose lives are linked with ours? Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all on the road to the end of our mortal lives; let us strive to make it a rich, purposeful, holy journey.
Lord of life and death, Make me thankful for the gift of each day, and mindful of how I use it. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120620.cfm
To hear the Quink Vocal Ensemble sing William Byrd’s “Retire My Soul, and Consider Thine Estate,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f1trejiSgI
